Guests walk past the entrance to Under the Sea -- Journey of the Little Mermaid, a new attraction in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom.Associated Press

Abigail, our 3-year-old granddaughter, didn’t so much exit the Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid — as she hopped, skipped, jumped and screeched with giddy delight.

“Can we go on it again?!” she asked.

And that, in a nutshell, is exactly what Disney’s Imagineers were aiming for when they conceived the elaborately themed attraction in new Fantasyland, a key component of the largest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid was one of several new additions to welcome excited park guests last week as new Fantasyland officially debuted with much pomp, ceremony ... and an amazing, one-night-only flying dragon thrown in for good measure.

In addition to the colorful and tune-filled Ariel ride, based on the Disney classic “The Little Mermaid,” Enchanted Tales with Belle, Ariel’s Grotto, Be Our Guest Restaurant and Gaston’s Tavern have now become key elements to an area of the Magic Kingdom that has long been considered the most popular.

Most of the new attractions are heavily princess-themed.

“To bring the princesses to the shadow of Cinderella Castle — where they should be — that’s the perfect setting for them,” said Phil Holmes, vice president of Magic Kingdom Park.

Of course, with all the new additions, comes the cornerstone of everything Disney does and does so well — telling a story.

As Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Staggs put it: “We’re in the guest experience business” and new Fantasyland “takes Disney storytelling to another level.”

The philosophy going in to the multi-year construction project — which takes up all of the real estate once occupied by the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine voyage, as well as space behind it — was to open new Fantasyland in stages, giving guests snippets of the excitement in regular doses.

New Fantasyland was officially opened on Dec. 6. From left to right are Tiana; actress Ginnifer Goodwin; Disney Parks and Resorts chairman Tom Staggs; Mickey Mouse, and former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks.Associated Press

This past summer in the former Mickey’s Toontown area, Dumbo the Flying Elephant — now with two ride apparatus and an innovative, air-conditioned queue area — found a permanent home in what is known as the Storybook Circus section of the land.

Nearby, the Barnstormer coaster was reimagined and now stars the Great Goofini, while the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station was a welcomed summertime addition to the circus-themed section.

A new souvenir shop, located under a circus big top tent, as well as a redesigned Walt Disney World Railroad Station and sparkling new restrooms also are located in Storybook Circus.

The new attractions debuting last week are part of the Enchanted Forest section of new Fantasyland.

The decision to rim the attractions in a forest setting was obvious to Disney’s creative team.

“All classic Disney stories have a forest in them,” Holmes said. At first, several ideas were tossed around “to add another texture, another palate to the storytelling. But the idea of a forest kept coming back. It’s the thread that ties everything together.”

According to Imagineering’s Chris Beatty, creative director of new Fantasyland, there was another reason to create the forest atmosphere.

“It’s a great place to sit and watch the world go by,” he said. “The beauty of new Fantasyland is it’s a place where you will want to go just to relax.

“We’ve given guests a place to go to enjoy trees, birds, waterfalls.”

Looming high in the mountain peeks above the Enchanted Forest are not one, but two new castles — Beast’s Castle and Prince Eric’s Castle. The entranceway to the Enchanted Forest area is lined with tall walls and circular spires very much in keeping with the design of nearby Cinderella Castle.

“Our attention to detail team did an amazing job creating new Fantasyland,” Beatty added.

But much work remains before new Fantasyland is completed.

Still to come: Princess Fairytale Hall, to be located in the Castle Courtyard, will open next year. Guests will enter elegantly finished rooms to meet Aurora, Cinderella and other classic Disney princesses, as well as more recent ones, like Tiana and Rapunzel.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the centerpiece of the new Fantasyland, opens in 2014. The family friendly coaster will wind its way from one end of new Fantasyland to the other and will feature a patented, first-of-its-kind ride system inside and out of the dwarfs’ diamond mine.

Next time: Much more on new Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.